Ruairí Ó Murchú
Question:75. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of the roll-out of remote working hubs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18041/22]
View answerTuesday, 5 April 2022
Questions (75, 110, 138)
Pádraig O'Sullivan
Question:110. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of the delivery of remote working hubs; the progress of the development of a national hubs network; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17888/22]
View answer
Kieran O'Donnell
Question:138. Deputy Kieran O'Donnell asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development if an update will be provided on the connected hubs in County Limerick and north County Tipperary; the process on becoming a connected hub; and the available funding for hubs under the connected hubs funding stream. [17898/22]
View answerOral answers (8 contributions)
I would like to ask the Minister about the status of the roll-out of remote working hubs. Obviously, there are various types of funding and funding streams with regard to these. We can all see the logic behind them in areas that have not had the roll-out of broadband we would like to see where they give people a facility to work in their area. We have obviously seen where it can help us reduce the amount of commuting in built-up places like Dundalk and all that is happening. Could we hear about where the roll-out is at?
I propose to take Questions Nos. 75, 110 and 138 together.
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Our Rural Future: Rural Development Policy 2021-2025 recognises the potential of remote working hubs as key economic assets for our rural towns and villages. Notwithstanding the clear benefits to individuals and families in terms of quality of life indicators, remote working from hubs will also support local economies, reduce carbon emissions and may arrest or reverse the depopulation of certain areas.
In May last, I launched the national connected hubs network together with the connectedhubs.ie platform. The platform offers a suite of booking and hub management applications to members of the network. Currently, 223 hubs are live on the platform, with this number increasing on an ongoing basis. In total, 20 of these 223 hubs are located in counties Limerick and Tipperary, with a further 32 hubs within these counties mapped for invitation to join the network. I will provide a table for the Deputies that gives a breakdown of these figures.
My Department continues to fund the establishment and development of remote working hubs under a number of funding streams. For example, under the connected hubs 2021 funding call, more than €800,000 was awarded to applicants in counties Limerick and Tipperary, enabling the enhancement of their remote working facilities. I have also recently announced funding of €18.5 million under the 2021 town and village renewal scheme. Successful projects included 28 remote working proposals. In February, I launched the connected hubs 2022 funding call, a €5 million funding stream to further support remote working facilities, including broadband connection points, throughout the country and to add further capacity to the national hub network. My officials are evaluating the applications that have been submitted and I expect to announce the successful applicants in the next few weeks. Details of all these schemes and successful applications are available on gov.ie.
The development of a national hubs network is a key commitment in Our Rural Future and I am committed to continuing my Department's support for the ongoing development of a comprehensive and integrated network of remote working hubs in recognition of the vital role they can play in our post-Covid recovery. I am a very strong supporter of remote working hubs. Remote working has been a game changer for rural Ireland and has helped to revitalise our towns and villages, allowing people to remain in their communities while taking up high-quality jobs. I launched a broadband connection point only two weeks ago in a very small community called Maudabawn outside Cootehill, County Cavan. I was able to say to the people there that they could do the same job in Maudabawn that they could do in Manhattan, and that is a fact because of remote working technology. The hubs are the way to go. If someone is working from home, work can impinge on the person's home life and that is not what we want. With remote working hubs, people will have the discipline of going to work in the morning and, even better, they will finish in the evening, go home and leave the work behind them. We should all have the right to disconnect, but if someone is working from home, that can encroach on the person's family life, which is not good for anybody.
This is why we have been investing in remote working hubs throughout the country. Whether through converting old cinemas, Garda stations, banks or railway stations, many types of derelict buildings have been identified by local authorities and we have been able to provide funding through the town and village renewal scheme and the rural regeneration and development fund to help them convert these buildings into modern-day use. What better way to use them than as remote working facilities? They are comfortable, the health and safety requirements are met and the worker sits at a chair that will not harm his or her back, which cannot always be said about a kitchen table. Moreover, the worker sits at a desk of a suitable height and works in a comfortable environment.
We should promote remote working hubs at every opportunity and I want employers to embrace this because there is a win for employers as well in that they will have happier workers and productivity will increase. Employers will not have to pay exorbitant rents in city locations when they can get a much cheaper alternative in rural towns and villages.
I imagine there will be a considerable degree of agreement on the issue of remote working hubs. Remote working is a game changer. While it will suit certain people to work from home and everyone is now talking about hybrid working, which might be the best of both worlds, I would also use that phrase in regard to remote working hubs. An example is Creative Spark Downtown in Clanbrassil Street, Dundalk, where the benefits of a workplace can be seen without necessarily the need to undergo long commutes, as might be the case where a business is based in Dublin or further afield. That is vital. I have recently had phone calls relating to the connected hubs funding call and people have expressed interest. We need to ensure the correct funding mechanism are in place in order that we can deliver this scheme where it is needed. It will be a lifeline for small towns, in particular, and even for larger towns such as Dundalk. We have a big issue with vacant sites. They could be used as hubs but, of course, we will also have to consider the wider issue of housing.
I thank the Minister for taking such an interest in this issue. It is ironic that modern technology is bringing back rural Ireland. This affords people with the opportunity to work in their local village and support their local shops and community daily, without being required to commute all the time to cites to work. I recognise, therefore, the funding being invested in this area.
It would be very worthwhile, whether it is done through National Broadband Ireland’s website or the Department's website, to outline clearly the locations of the current broadband connection points, the connected hubs that are in place and the proposed hubs. That should be provided, in particular for County Limerick and north County Tipperary, because it is very important.
We launched the connected hubs initiative in the Mill Enterprise Centre, Drogheda. There is no better example than there of the potential of remote working. There is a great deal of industry and remote work and it is an excellent place. The connected hubs scheme is available to access on an app. On their mobile phone, people can book a desk or an office and it is all done online. It is easy access and we wanted to make sure of that.
Separately, the connected hubs funding call is open to applicants. There was funding of €9 million last year and I have just opened the funding process for this year. It is open to remote working spaces that join up to the connected hubs scheme to apply for funding. We want to create a connected hubs ecosystem. I want to see this country light up. The app will outline all the places that are available.
In fairness, County Louth has a number of these hubs and is already seeing successes, as the Minister pointed out in respect of the Mill centre, Drogheda, and beyond. Creative Spark has its primary building as well as this new, secondary building, but a considerable number of other businesses are examining the idea too. Sites are available and can be utilised for this, and many companies will no doubt avail of it. Due diligence needs to be done to ensure the level of funding is appropriate. In respect of aspects of the connected hubs funding call, there are limits. It is about improving circumstances where there are already remote working hubs or where remote working of some sort exists. Do we need to consider other modalities to be able to provide for new, perhaps small remote working hubs in towns such as Dundalk?
When does the Minister expect the app will be up and running? It is hugely important that people see that and that there be encouragement for every town and village to have a remote working hub. It is something I passionately believe in. We have towns throughout east Limerick and north Tipperary that it would work very well for but it is about knowledge and people's awareness, so that towns and villages that do not have them would say they are a vital infrastructure requirement and pursue them. I assume the Minister will always be open and will have rounds coming up all the time in terms of further remote working hubs.
In terms of funding for remote working hubs, the local authority can apply to my Department for the town and village renewal scheme or the rural regeneration scheme for the infrastructure. In terms of the kitting out of the facilities, you can apply to the connected hubs but, if you want to do so, you have to register to use the app.
We have 223 hubs on board and aim to have 400 on board by 2025. I expect us to meet that target way before that. We have asked the Western Development Commission to do this on behalf of the Department. It is working with Enterprise Ireland and the IDA to promote the hub network to employers and sell the benefits, including reduced overhead costs and happier, more productive workers. I consider remote working to be a well-being initiative. We want to get employers to see the benefits of remote working and we want more people to get involved with it. We have one chance and it is now. We do not want to let it slip or let people go back to the old normal but keep them in the remote working spaces.